How to prepare for the OSSLT

The OSSLT checks the reading and writing skills expected across all subjects by the end of Grade 9. There is nothing to memorize. What helps is knowing the test's format, practising the skills it measures, and getting feedback on your writing. This plan fits into the four weeks before your school's test day.

Start with EQAO's practice test

EQAO's free practice test runs on the same online platform you will use on test day, with the same question types and built-in tools. Take it once, early. When you finish, the results page shows each question with your answer and the correct response, plus the scoring rubrics and sample student responses for the written answers. Use it to decide what to work on first.

What the OSSLT measures

Knowing what each part checks tells you what to practise.

Reading

You will read four kinds of text: a real-life narrative, an information paragraph, a news report and a dialogue. The questions check three skills:

• finding information and ideas that are stated directly

• making inferences about ideas that are implied but not stated

• connecting ideas in the text to your own knowledge and experience

There are 23 selected-response reading questions and one written answer about a reading.

Writing

You will answer 12 selected-response questions about organizing ideas and using correct spelling, grammar and punctuation, then write one opinion essay as a series of paragraphs. Writing is scored on three things: developing a main idea with enough supporting details, organizing ideas clearly, and using conventions so that errors don't get in the way of meaning.

A four-week plan

Week 1: Learn the test

• Take EQAO's practice test and note which question types slowed you down.

• Read the scoring rubrics and the sample responses on the results page.

• Pick your two weakest skills to focus on.

Week 2: Reading skills

• Read one short text of each type every day: a news article, an information piece, a personal story and a conversation.

• For each one, write a sentence about something the text implies but doesn't say, and point to the words that show it.

• Practise selected-response questions, including multiple-selection and drag-and-drop items.

Week 3: The opinion essay

• Write three timed opinion essays on everyday topics.

• Get each one marked, and check whether your opinion is clear and your details are specific.

• Rewrite the weakest paragraph of each essay using the feedback.

Week 4: Put it together

• Do a full timed practice: about 65 minutes, a break, then about 75 minutes, the length of the two sessions.

• Go back over your mistakes and redo the questions you got wrong.

• Confirm your test day, what to bring and any accommodations with your school.

How to write the opinion essay

The opinion essay is worth about a quarter of the test's raw score points, more than any other single question. A clear structure helps:

• State your opinion in the first paragraph, clearly and in your own words.

• Support it in two or three body paragraphs, each with one main reason and specific details or examples.

• Connect each paragraph back to your opinion so the ideas build on each other.

• End with a paragraph that brings the reader back to your opinion.

• Check spelling, grammar and punctuation before you submit.

The test scores your writing as a first draft, so it doesn't need to be polished. EQAO's rubric rewards opinions supported by specific, thoughtfully chosen details, and vague or repeated reasons score lower even when the grammar is correct.

Tips for test day

• Bring a pencil or pen, an eraser and headphones. Dictionaries, translation tools, notes and textbooks aren't allowed.

• Use the built-in tools: text-to-speech, zoom, the line reader and the highlighter.

• Use the rough notes space to plan your essay before you write it.

• Read each question fully before answering, especially questions that ask you to choose more than one answer.

Litguide gives students lessons and OSSLT-style reading and writing practice, with every piece of writing marked in seconds against the OSSLT rubrics. For this year's test windows, see OSSLT dates for 2026–27, and for pass rates, see Is the OSSLT hard?